I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

“I’d like to receive the slave’s belongings.”

As instructed by the slave trader, I handed the document to the lobby staff. The staff checked it and asked me to wait a moment.

“Here it is.”

He came out with a large box. Judging by its size, it probably contained all the items she had used during her time as an adventurer.

“Normally, we would ask the slave to carry it, but…”

The staff glanced at the slave behind me. She didn’t look like she had the strength to carry it. She was so thin that it was questionable whether she was really a combat slave.

“I’ll carry it.”

I took the box. It was quite heavy, but not to an unbearable degree.

“Thank you. Please use our Celeste Trading Company again next time.”

I received the staff’s greeting and went outside. As we entered the street, the eyes of people around were drawn to us.

“Tsk.”

Gazes as if looking at something dirty. People around were whispering, and though I didn’t know what they were saying, it probably wasn’t anything good. The slave’s body naturally shrank.

“Follow me.”

After giving the slave an order, I immediately visited a nearby clothing store.

“3 silver.”

It was fortunate that I hadn’t used all my wealth. After buying a robe from the store, I covered her head with it.

“…Thank you.”

The slave spoke in a very small voice. Her voice was as beautiful as her face. I didn’t show any reaction and walked quickly. I could hear her following from behind.

When we entered the inn, Muffin was sitting at a table with her face in her hands. She just turned her head and greeted me.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

“You didn’t come yesterday, so I thought you died in the labyrinth. If you had come two days later, I would have moved all the things in your room.”

“Well, should I thank you for the consideration?”

She bowed her head.

“Not at all. What about a meal? What would you like to do?”

“Rather than a meal, first prepare warm water. And I’d like to get one more room.”

“Just in case I should ask. What is the status of the person behind you?”

“Status?”

“Yes. A noble, a mercenary, or a slave.”

My expression frowned at Muffin’s words. It felt like she was questioning our qualification.

“What does that matter? Are there conditions for using this place as a customer?”

“Of course there are conditions. Unlike others, slaves cannot use a room alone. Because problems might occur.”

She said, placing both hands on her waist. It was a very confident attitude, saying she had done nothing wrong. Indeed, Muffin wasn’t at fault.

“…I have no choice. Then I’d like a larger room. One with two beds.”

“For a room with two beds, you’ll have to pay 1 silver more.”

At Muffin’s words, I sighed deeply and handed over a silver coin. Now there really wasn’t much left.

“Thank you. I’ll move your room right away. As a special service, I’ll provide warm water.”

“Thanks.”

I greeted her and went up the stairs. Muffin followed and helped move the luggage.

“Carry the rest.”

When I ordered the slave, she nodded slightly and did as commanded. It was fortunate that she at least acted according to instructions.

“We need to go upstairs.”

I went up with Muffin. This time too, it was a room at the end, but the interior was quite spacious.

“I’ll specially give you this room. It might be inconvenient when entering or leaving, but this is the largest room on this floor.”

“Isn’t it because no one wants to stay in this room?”

“Why are you so cynical?”

I closed my mouth at those words. Certainly, what I just said was a bit disrespectful.

“Thank you.”

“That’s fine. I’ll go down and prepare warm water right away. You can come after about 5 minutes.”

“Wait.”

I stopped Muffin with my words as she was about to leave the room. She held the door and turned around.

“Is there anything else you want to order?”

“Could you bring cold water to the door? I think it would be better to do it here rather than washing downstairs.”

I didn’t think the slave in front of me would wash properly. Moreover, because of her black hair, I felt like we would have to be conscious of others’ gazes.

“…It’s troublesome. Alright. I’ll bring it up. But next time, I’ll charge a fee!”

She waved her hand and disappeared. With the energetic Muffin gone, I was left alone with the slave.

An awkward atmosphere. To begin with, I wasn’t good at talking. It was the same when I lived in Korea, but after coming here, I spoke even less.

First, I needed to check the information about the slave. I took out the documents I had received from the slave trader and read them one by one.

Her name was Inis. She was a swordswoman who used dual swords, and at 24 years old, she was 3 years older than me.

There was no other particular information. Either they hadn’t investigated further or they lacked the will to do so.

“Hmm.”

Next, I opened the box I had placed on the floor. Inside were thick leather armor and a longsword. Judging by the signs of use, she seemed to have frequently gone in and out of the labyrinth.

After checking everything, I closed the box again and put the documents in the drawer.

What should I say first? Actually, I wasn’t pleased that I, as the owner, had to consider her first like this. But since it was what Egun wanted, I decided to be thoughtful.

“Let me tell you in advance, I didn’t buy you to use you for other purposes.”

She only flinched at my words without any other response. I took off my robe and continued.

“And I, like you, have black hair.”

At those words, the slave who had shown no reaction slowly raised her head. The eyes of the woman who had looked dead gradually widened. She seemed not to have expected this at all.

“…M-master, you’re also a Teufel?”

“Flame.”

Instead of answering, I summoned a flame in front of me. Her eyes widened even more at the sudden blaze. It was truly surprising that they could get even bigger.

“…Master really did contract with a devil.”

“I didn’t even contract with a devil, but because everyone around kept making a fuss, I did. It also suited my aptitude.”

Inis nodded as if she sympathized. Having the same color of hair, she must understand.

“Did you also come from Korea?”

“Pardon?”

She expressed confusion at my words. I thought she might have been pulled into the game just like me since she had the same hair color, but judging by her reaction, it wasn’t the case at all.

“It’s nothing. As I said earlier, there are two reasons why I bought you. The first is because I need someone to protect me.”

“Someone to protect you…”

“Yes. The reason I don’t form parties with other adventurers is partly because I don’t trust them, but also because I have black hair.”

She became momentarily blank at my words. I gently waved the flame in front of me. Her gaze focused back on me.

“The second reason is that the devil I contracted with wants you.”

“…The devil wants me?”

“Yes. I don’t know the reason. Anyway, you’ll meet tonight. You’ll understand when you hear the story then.”

Inis trembled slightly and then lowered her head. It was as if she was resigning herself. A feeling of giving up on life, you could say.

“…At least my end will be of help to someone. If I can be of assistance to someone who has suffered the same persecution, that’s enough for me.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“I thought you were planning to sacrifice me as an offering?”

At those words, I sighed deeply.

“Didn’t I just say? The first reason I bought you is because I need someone to protect me. So how could I sacrifice you?”

“Ah…”

“To begin with, the devil I contracted with isn’t that violent in nature.”

Rather, she was quite gentle. Though I’m not sure if she would be the same to Inis.

“For now, that’s what you need to know right away. Since we’ll have to go down to the labyrinth together in the future, eat well and rest well. You’ll need to regain your skill, if not as much as when you were traversing the labyrinth.”

“…Yes.”

She seemed to lack motivation, but it was still much better than when she was at the slave trader’s. I could see her expression had brightened slightly.

Knock knock-

A knocking sound from outside. The lack of further words meant she had brought water. I got up and brought the water and towel from the corridor. Cold water inside.

“…Shall I wash?”

“Wait a moment.”

I summoned the flame again and slowly inserted it toward the water. As it approached, steam began to rise frantically. It was because the heat was too high.

Until now, I had been focused on increasing the firepower, but now it had become a hindrance. I concentrated and slowly tried to cool down the heat.

The flame’s size decreased for a while, but eventually, it wouldn’t reduce any further. And the firepower seemed to have increased instead. A hot wind blew.

“Ugh…”

“Withdraw.”

Inis frowned. In the end, I removed the flame and gently placed my hand in the water.

Boiling hot water. It was clear that bathing in this would cause burns. Fortunately, I had resistance because I had been handling flames.

I tried to absorb the fire energy from the water. Whether my effort worked or not, the steam coming from the water gradually decreased.

“Check it.”

At my command, she gently brought her hand closer. A slightly fearful look. But soon she put her finger in and was relieved.

“It’s warm…”

“Wash yourself.”

I gave Inis a towel and ordered. She undressed without hesitation.

As expected, her body was too thin to be attractive. But despite being so thin, her breasts were quite large. If she gained weight, they would probably become even larger.

Inis washed from head to toe. The smell from her body had almost disappeared, so she put on the robe and we went down to eat together.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“…It’s delicious.”

Since she hadn’t eaten anything until now, I deliberately ordered only bread and stew. I remembered seeing somewhere that eating meat right away would cause problems.

After finishing the meal, we went back to the room. It wasn’t night yet, but it was around evening.

“From now on, I’m going to summon the devil I contracted with. So don’t be too scared.”

“…Yes.”

I locked the door and sat on the bed. Inis sat across from me.

『Are you ready to offer the payment?』

When I nodded, a red portal unfolded before my eyes. Inis’s eyes, slightly visible through it, widened.

Click click-

The sound of high heels grew closer. A red leg emerged. Following it, a woman with a beautiful face revealed herself.

“Lady Egun.”

“Romon. My contractor.”

She smiled slightly and approached me. Just as I was opening my mouth to ask about Inis, Egun immediately pressed her lips against mine.

“Smooch…♡”

“Gasp!”