Marie was dumbfounded, shocked, and confused by the situation. Just moments ago she was being chased by a pack of vicious dog-like lesser demons, she hid in a church and prayed to God for protection, but instead a magic circle appeared that summoned a demon. The Satyr came wanting to capture her, then another demon emerged from that magic circle. The two of them fought over her, and the mysterious demon won.
And now that mysterious demon was standing before her, offering his hand. Marie nervously accepted it and stood up on her own two feet, afraid to refuse.
"Are you alright?" said the mysterious demon with concern.
How could she not be worried when a massive explosion had occurred just meters in front of her. Her ears were ringing loudly and the thick smoke around her made her lungs feel tight.
Marie was curious about what was going on in the mysterious demon's head. Why was he helping her, even helping her to stand? This demon was incredibly strong, able to effortlessly defeat the Satyr, who was supposed to be of Marquis rank. With that power, he should be at Duke rank or higher.
Marie didn't sense any ill intent from him, but who knew what might happen. But what did he want from her?
Finally, Marie mustered the courage to ask. "W-why are you helping me?" she said as politely as she could, not wanting to offend him.
The demon tilted his head slightly. "Hm? A hero doesn't need a reason to save an ungrateful little girl from the danger of a ferocious roasted goat."
Marie was speechless, looking at him with her mouth half-open. "Thank you for saving me... but really, why?"
The mysterious demon cleared his throat and began to introduce himself.
"My name is Morgrath, a Duke of Hell. I am here to protect you, Marie the Saint of humanity, to carry out a task given to me by God."
"Huh!? What!?" Marie couldn't contain her surprise upon hearing Morgrath's words. "Why would God send you? Why not an angel or something else?"
"Why not? God is almighty, you know. And Angels? Pfft, they're all bird-brains. I can protect you better than they can."
"How can I know that you were truly sent by God or not?"
Morgrath narrowed his eyes. "Well... I can't prove it, but believe me, I won't hurt you at all. My task is to protect you, and I won't let a single drop of blood be spilled from your skin."
Marie lowered her head, her fists clenched tightly. "Protect me? You, a demon? Don't lie to me. You demons are vile creatures thirsty for human blood. You ruin the human world, slaughter humans. I will never forget the time demons attacked my village and killed everyone I loved. I hate demons to death, which is why I'm determined to eradicate all demons from the face of this earth."
Marie immediately sealed her lips. The demon's casual way of speaking had made her less cautious, and she had inadvertently cursed his entire race. But strangely, he didn't seem offended; he remained calm.
Morgrath rolled his eyes. "Don't compare me to the small fry from your past. I'm different. Besides, I just met you."
Morgrath looked at Marie like a feral street cat given a little food. Distrust, fear, and anger were reflected in her sapphire blue eyes.
Morgrath rubbed the back of his head and sighed softly.
"If you really don't trust me, how about we do this..." Morgrath pulled out a mysterious scroll from within his cloak. He untied the red string binding it and revealed its contents. "This is a master and servant contract. I will become your servant and you will become my master. I surrender my soul to you, and in return, you will trust me completely. How about it?"
Marie was stunned looking at it. Here was a demon daring to hand over his soul to a human like her. Demons were generally arrogant creatures who looked down on other beings, believing themselves to be the strongest. But they were also full of deceit; who knew what Morgrath was planning for her.
Marie couldn't imagine the immense power she would wield if a demon as strong as Morgrath submitted to her; it would surely be incredible.
Marie quickly dismissed that thought; she had almost fallen for his trick.
Without asking permission, Morgrath took a drop of blood from Marie's forehead and smeared it in the place meant for a signature on the paper. Then he also dropped his own blood in the other spot.
A miracle occurred. The paper suddenly burst into flames on its own, creating two balls of fire that then flew into Marie and Morgrath.
"W-what did you do?" Suddenly, Marie felt a searing heat in the palm of her hand, as if a hot iron had been pressed against it. Marie fell down, clutching her hand while grimacing in pain. The pain didn't last long and slowly faded.
Marie stared at the intricate tattoo that had appeared on her palm. She tried to stand up and saw an intricate tattoo encircling the darkness that was Morgrath's neck. It must be the master-servant contract he mentioned. Really, what was he thinking, voluntarily giving control of himself to a girl like her?
Morgrath clapped his hands cheerfully. "It is now official that I am your servant, oh my master. From this moment on, I will use my life to serve you. Please command me as you wish." Elegantly, he bowed while placing his arm over his chest, like a butler.
"Kneel."
Morgrath knelt without another word. A single word had made the demon submit. Was it due to the contract's compulsion, or simply because he wanted to? Did he want her trust that badly?
Marie looked at the tattoo on her palm with resignation. Her fate was sealed. In this world, allying with a demon was an extremely, extremely taboo act, let alone making a contract with one. If she were found out, she would surely be burned at the town square until not even embers remained.
Her life was guaranteed to be peaceful no longer, and the mastermind behind it all was right in front of her, kneeling with a happy smile as if without sin. If she could, she'd really like to beat him up. But there was something else more important.
"Were you truly ordered by God to protect me? What is God's reason for choosing *you* to protect me?"
Morgrath lifted his head and began his story. "A long, long time ago, I loved a human woman very, very much. But humans have very short lives, and she left very quickly, leaving me alone for hundreds of years. One day, someone told me that human souls go to heaven after death. So, I went to see God and asked to enter heaven so we could meet again. But demons can no longer enter heaven because of the deeds of our ancestors long ago. Even so, God gave me a chance. He promised me entry into heaven if I carried out His command, and that command was to protect you, Marie."
Marie couldn't keep her mouth from falling open. "Whaaat?"