A human from Earth and a demon born in the Demon Realm.
Despite their contrasting origins, the two men, surprisingly similar in appearance, stared at each other.
"…"
"…"
No words were exchanged. They simply shared the complex emotions they held within through their gazes. But that was enough. Although they were now separated, they were originally one and the same. Over twenty years had passed since he came to Auterica, and he could no longer use the system, but since it hadn't been thirty years yet, Miyamoto Ken's unique skill, 「Thought Transference」, hadn't completely disappeared.
However—.
'…It's too late.'
Ken closed his eyes as he looked at his original body, still lying on the altar, only his eyes moving as he looked up at his demonic self. Yes, they both knew.
That Miyamoto Ken's life, offered as a sacrifice for the ritual, was nearing its end. It wasn't just that his body was weakened from lack of nourishment. From the potential within each of his cells to his mind, which constituted his ego, and even the foundation of his soul,
Everything was depleted. He was like a pile of ashes with only a small ember remaining.
'It's too late…'
No one could save him now. Not a Saint, a Demon King, a Dragon, not even if he suddenly gained enlightenment and reached Transcendence. It was a miracle that he was even conscious in this state. Perhaps his contact with Ken, who had come all the way here, had triggered it.
Ken looked at his original body on the altar with complicated eyes. A mere copy created through the unique skill 「Thought Transference」, but distorted by the curse and influenced by the demon's body, he had become quite different from the original. But regardless of everything, the owner of the ability was Miyamoto Ken, lying there, and the fact that he was an artificially created being was undeniable.
So,
That's why he was even more surprised.
"…Are you really sure about this?"
A will emanating from Miyamoto Ken, his original body.
"…"
He just smiled faintly in response to the surprised question. Demon Ken looked at him with a complicated expression, unable to speak because his vocal cords had completely withered. It was an emotion he could no longer understand, having become a complete demon.
"Then let's begin."
But since it wasn't detrimental to him, he didn't refuse. Rather, knowing that time was running out, he immediately put it into action.
A 'Demonic Contract', with the contractor's soul as the price.
"[Azi DeQure de roTuS Vi…]"
With a low chant, Ken placed one hand on the forehead of his original body, who had closed his eyes, and grasped his other frail hand. He looked too reverent for someone performing a demonic contract. It almost looked like a sacred ritual to comfort someone on their deathbed.
And as if resisting,
Rumble
As the demonic contract progressed, the altar, and the entire ritual site connected to it, began to resist fiercely. As if refusing to relinquish what it had obtained. It was natural, since Miyamoto Ken had already been offered as a sacrifice for the ritual.
"[DoU keTep JAd ra…]"
He was at a disadvantage, both in terms of precedence, as the ritual had been ongoing for over twenty years, and output, due to its massive scale. In cases like this, the later contract would normally be repelled, but Ken didn't mind.
After all,
The subject and object of this contract weren't strangers, but one and the same.
Crack!
Due to the powerful flow of causality that disregarded all procedures, a crack appeared in the ongoing ritual. As a small cog was forcibly removed from the intricate gears, the entire structure began to falter. This happened because Ken's intervention held greater weight than the ritual's precedence. It didn't just disrupt the existing ritual.
'I worked for free for twenty years; I deserve at least a small severance pay.'
Ken's eyes narrowed as he slowly extracted the deeply rooted soul of his original body. A vast amount of energy followed the remnants of the shattered soul. The energy source that sustained the ritual being conducted here, and the energy that maintained this unknown temple in the Demon Realm. One of its pillars was uprooted.
Rumble
The quiet temple shook as if an earthquake had struck, but Ken didn't care. He knew that the energy he extracted wasn't enough to completely destroy the ritual, let alone the temple. Unfortunately, his original body's condition was too poor to interfere any further.
'But this much… should be enough for severance pay.'
With that thought, Ken looked down. The real Miyamoto Ken looked up at him with clearer eyes, perhaps due to the sudden influx of energy. But it was only a temporary phenomenon, disappearing the moment the contract was completed.
As if knowing that, and recognizing this as his last chance, he opened his mouth with difficulty.
"…Ah."
A faint voice escaped his lips. He could communicate through the connected 「Thought Transference」, but he didn't rely on it this time. As if trying to leave some trace of his existence in this world.
"…Goodbye… Ken…"
A raspy voice, unused for over twenty years. But that was all he could manage. And Miyamoto Ken… no, the man who had passed on his last ember and become nothing but ashes, smiled faintly.
Hum
Then, the contract was finally complete, and...
The Earthling, who left his name to the demon as his last words, quietly closed his eyes.
"…"
The demon, now the only 'Ken' remaining in the world, quietly looked down. At the empty altar, now just a discarded set of clothes.
"…The contract is complete."
The soul he received from the contract was too damaged to be of value to other demons, but it held a different meaning for him. The void he had carried since his birth, the incompleteness of his being, was filled, and a sense of fulfillment welled up within him.
Crack
His body, which had remained at the Count level despite possessing the Demon King's body, was rapidly reconstructed based on the vast energy he had absorbed. Although he didn't jump several ranks at once, he had laid the foundation for future growth, now that the incompleteness that hindered his progress was resolved.
"The price is everything of Miyamoto Ken. And the wish…"
He was no longer a copied ego created by someone—
"…To live in his stead."
He was a true demon, existing solely in this world. Marquis Ken slowly looked around. This place was practically the heart of the Demon Dragon Duke's scheme. Although he was delayed by an unexpected event, his task remained the same.
"It seems it's finally over."
"Kahaha! It seems you gained quite a bit!"
"Then let's move quickly! It's about time the Demon Dragon Duke returned."
Just then, Davidson, who had been busily roaming the temple while Ken was performing the contract, approached him. He didn't know how he knew about the outside situation from within the temple, but he just accepted it and nodded silently. It wouldn't be strange for the creature Lady Hela sent to possess such an ability.
"…Yes, it took longer than expected. Let's hurry."
The mission wasn't over yet. He came here to gather information and sabotage the Demon Dragon Duke. Now that his personal business was done, his original objective came to mind, and his eyes blazed with fervor.
"Let's take everything we can and destroy what we can't."
"Oh! I like that!"
"Sniff! Is there no meat here?"
"I already finished that side, dude. This place is big, but the areas he mainly uses are limited!"
Davidson, the self-proclaimed best hunting dog in the Demon Realm, with his three keen noses and sharp eyes, declared proudly. Ken nodded and looked around.
"Alright, then I'll take care of these sacrifices."
He had clearly grasped how important this space was while forcibly extracting energy earlier. It was common sense to destroy the core facilities when infiltrating enemy territory. He channeled the faint power of 「Thought Transference」 he felt within him and slowly started walking. Of course, this was solely for the mission.
He had no personal feelings involved.
***
"Heron! Where have you been, and what happened to your arm?"
"Ahaha. Well… things happened?"
"Haa— The hospital director urgently contacted me… what happened?"
Hesperon awkwardly scratched the back of his head at the woman's sigh. He knew he had caused her concern, and he had nothing to say. He knew she was saying this because she cared about him.
"…Honestly. Are you really alright? Are you hurt?"
"Of course! That old man overreacted! I'm really fine. I've prepared other solutions just in case."
Crown Princess Riley of the Azerion Empire looked at him with narrowed eyes at his confident words. She was shocked by the hospital director's sudden contact while busy with imperial affairs. She rushed over after hastily taking care of urgent matters, and she couldn't help but be skeptical of his confident words.
'Where does he go and what does he do? He seemed to find staying in the Imperial Palace stifling, so I tried not to mind, but…'
She wanted to lock him up somewhere safe forever, but she couldn't. He wasn't her possession. And considering his ability to escape even the Immortal King's headquarters, it seemed impossible to confine him anyway.
'…Wait a minute. Come to think of it…'
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind as she reminisced about the past. She turned her head abruptly and covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
'W-when we escaped, we made a contract, right? The condition we set back then was…'
He wasn't her possession, but she was practically his. That was the kind of contract they made back then. Didn't it allow him to communicate with her and even summon her whenever and wherever he wanted, regardless of the distance?
'Ugh, I knew it, but… Is this really alright? I'm the next Empress. For me to be someone's possession…'
Fortunately, thanks to the special abilities of the people from another world, no one, not even the Archmage, had noticed, but this could be a fatal disqualification for the next Empress. She gulped nervously. She had been aware of it, but thinking about it seriously again made her uneasy.
'No, I shouldn't think so negatively. I've received a lot of help thanks to this.'
It was practically the best insurance policy. No matter what danger she faced in the future, as long as he was by her side, she could overcome any crisis just like before. His abilities had been proven through various past incidents.
'Well, I can't change what's already happened. Thinking about it this way, it might actually be a good thing…'
Lost in thought, Riley's face slowly flushed. An image of herself as Empress, with Hesperon standing firmly by her side, flickered in her mind. And that image soon expanded to include not just the two of them…
"Riley?"
"Huh?"
Startled by the sudden call, she turned to him with a flustered expression. But Hesperon was equally surprised by her intense reaction. He had just called out to her because she seemed to be lost in thought.
She quickly grasped the situation and cleared her throat, trying to appear nonchalant.
"Ahem, please be careful in the future. Heron, you're not alone anymore."
"Huh?"
"Ah?"
She couldn't help the slip of the tongue due to her previous thoughts. After her mistake,
Riley hurriedly made excuses and then quickly left, saying she had unfinished business. Leaving behind only the words, "Tell me if you need anything".
After seeing her off, Hesperon chuckled softly. Then he looked at his right arm and fell into deep thought with a serious expression.
"Hmm, I hope this doesn't affect those around me."
The black stains had grown larger. But the sealing tool was still doing its job.
'But it's hard to say, considering what's inside.'
It was the remnants of a former Demon King. It wasn't impossible for the faint energy leaking out to affect those around him. He might not notice it himself, being immune to mental attacks.
"…I should hurry up and make a sealing tool, just in case."
He clicked his tongue and clenched his fist. He could feel the immense power even through the seal.
'I think I can summon Ken with this. I wonder if it will work on Earth, too?'
He smiled gently, thinking about the Marquis-class demon connected to the Dark Soul within his right arm. Pondering how to quickly develop this excellent slave.